A new voice echoed through the darkness that felt oddly familiar and the very darkness around him trembled at its sound.
Wake up… it was beautiful, soft, and yet far away. Guide them… And find me, my dearest one.
Aether jerked awake with a gasp as pain shot through him like a needle. The void had vanished and now he saw only cold blue metal walls of a strange room. But he ignored that as he couldn't breathe right, each breath felt like pulling in thick water instead of air.
A soft voice whispered from somewhere. You'll wake carrying all of us...
He groaned as felt the pain drilled deeper, making seconds feel like hours as it pounded through his skull. Then came relief with a sudden coolness that chased away the hurt and then he realized someone was touching his face.
He felt the fingers pressed against his skin, shy at first, then more confident. Thumbs made small circles at his temples, and slowly the throbbing faded away.
"Chief...? Do you hear me?"
Aether forced his eyes open, vision blurring then focusing on the figure before him.
She was extremely beautiful with waves of white hair, a few strands braided and a silken fringe slipped across one blue eye. She had beautiful blue eyes and was clad in black shirt, pants, and short boots with black star shaped ear-rings.
But then Aether blinked as he saw a swirling ocean that took her place.
Then a strange symbol started to form in it.
It was a circle of blue light, within it were three ripples, expanding outward but never completing at its center, a single downward-pointing teardrop, suspended rather than falling. And then lines etched like tidal scars, gently curving as if pulled by deep ocean pressure.
"Chief…? Can you hear me?" The woman's voice repeated in concern.
The world stabilized and that ocean had vanished, only displaying the beautiful woman.
"Who are you?" Aether managed, his own voice soft and rough from disuse. "And how do you know me?"
She blinked before emotions flashed across her face as she removed her hand quickly. "My name is Lyria Tideborn." She said softly. "I was sent here alongside others to find you… I would like to tell you more, but there is no time to waste."
As Lyria spoke, concern and worry flashed across her face before she glanced urgently behind her, toward a sealed vault door. "The others are keeping the Nightmare Creatues back. But they won't be able to last, so we will have to leave-"
Aether groaned as he heard a whisper in his head.
Shackle…Her…
"Chief, are you alright?" Lyria's calm slightly broke. She moved closer, her hands instinctively lifting toward him again but then they stopped, frozen in mid-air, fingers curling inward.
Aether shook his head, trying to clear his mind. "Ugh, yeah, I am…"
Lyria furrowed her brows and asked softly. "Are you sure? If you're hurt, I can probably help." The offer was genuine, but her posture screamed retreat.
"Only my head." He muttered before staring at her. "But it should clear up soon… You look worried."
Her hands withdrew instantly, clasping together in her lap. "…I shouldn't touch you."
"Why? You already touched me once."
Lyria gaze dropped while her shoulders tensed, and she spoke softly. "…That was a mistake, I shouldn't have done that… I don't deserve to."
Aether blinked at this woman who was his first contact with reality, who offered aid while denying herself the slightest comfort. Now he became both confused and extremely curious on why she was like this.
These are the monsters you bastards screamed about. Or is it just hiding beneath the surface? Oh well, I will find out later but for now…
"Lyria…" Aether tilted his head and asked. "What's that you want to do? Or let me be more specific, what's your wish at this moment right now?"
Her face went blank, as though he'd spoken something unheard of to her. A small shiver ran through her shoulders and down to her fingers. Her mouth opened, but she said nothing.
Aether waited, which was the only thing he could really do as he was bound to the chair he was sitting in. His eyes never wavered from hers, neither demanding nor pitying.
Lyria muttered. "I… I don't have one."
"Then create one right now." Aether says as he sees her flinching.
Lyria's face blanched. "No, Chief… I... I don't deserve one." She whispered, her fingernails carving half-moons into her palms.
Then horror flashed across her face, as though the confession had escaped against her will.
The unspoken "Why did I say that?" stretched between. Lyria blinked three times quickly, and her expression shifted into something expressionless.
But it was too late, Aether had already glimpsed behind the walls she'd built around herself, seen the prison of her own making.
A soft smile appeared on his face.
Oh, my dear… What a stunning contradiction you are.
In that confession, he didn't hear an end, but a beginning of a story he very much wished to read. He only asked her that question because people like her were depressed, beaten down, or felt guilty. They tend to feel they don't deserve anything but secretly desire many things.
But she seemed a mix of all three? Hmm, now I really want to know.
He wanted to walk beside her and find out what wish she kept buried under all that "I don't deserve" talk.
Everyone had wishes, even those who denied them.
But before he could say anything.
Aether felt something cold brushed against his body. Goosebumps prickled up his arms like tiny warnings, but he pushed the feeling aside, leaned forward, and spoke in a gentle voice.
"Lyria… My dearest guide." Aether began, the endearment sincere and fascinated. "A wish doesn't require you to be deserving. It is simply something you desire deep within. What is it that you want above all else?"
Lyria gasped sharply.
The temperature in the room seemed to plummet, making him shiver. Then he saw cracks forming on the wall at the corner of his vision while the air between them changed.
Lyria tried to speak but only made a small gasping sound. Her hands started to shake, then her arms, making her star earrings jingle against her neck.
The walls trembled now too. This wasn't just her emotions anymore but something real was happening to the room around them. The lights blinked on and off while Lyria struggled to breathe.
"I… can't…" Lyria managed, the words gritted out.
She stumbled back a step, one hand flying to her head. An invasive cold seemed to radiate from her, raising goosebumps on his skin.
Without warning, she reached behind her back. In one smooth motion, Lyria pulled out her long sword and swung it down, cutting through the straps that held him to the chair.
"Run!" Lyria shouted to him, a black coloring appearing around her iris. "Now, Chief! Don't look back!"
Her face begged him to leave, to understand the danger, to save himself. But Aether didn't as he saw the conflict between her willingness to protect him warring with something in her.